Share with WaterWipes what you wish you were told before the arrival of your new born - chance to win £300! NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

The team at WaterWipes would love to hear what you wish you'd been told before the arrival of your new born.

We all can recall those innocent days before the arrival of baby and the impact having a child can have on your life so please share on this thread what you wish someone had told you - or what you were told which was especially useful!

Here's what WaterWipes says: "WaterWipes contain only 2 ingredients: 99.9% Water and 0.1% grapefruit seed extract. Non-irritating to even the most sensitive of children’s or Mums’ skin, WaterWipes help prevent and alleviate nappy rash and other sensitive skin conditions. WaterWipes are the only baby wipe ever to be endorsed by Allergy UK. We think they're great for newborns and we'd love to hear what other pearls of wisdom you wish you knew before your baby arrived!"

Please share a comment on the thread: you'll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win £300 voucher for the store of choice (from a list). Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

I really wish somebody had told me to unpack the steriliser and familiarise myself with it , and the bottles , because when I came home it was an almighty rush around with the whole thing!

Nappy changing gets so much harder once they can roll, and take a nappy off themselves! keep a small, hand held toy next to the changing mat, to keep their hands busy. Make sure it is easily cleaned too

I wish I knew lifting my babies legs can stimulate their bowels, I have been pooed and peed on too many times not to have learnt my lesson, don't take your time when changing your babies nappy

To enjoy every minute as the time passes by so quickly!

That not all newborns sleep. Mine was like the bionic baby! I was awake all night the night before labour started, didnt have her until the middle of the next night and then there were some complications so no sleep.
The third night, her first in the world, she didnt sleep at all. After pushing her down to the nursing room for the 50 millionth time so the other mums on the ward could sleep I was on my knees.

It kind of went on like that until she was 7 weeks old then all of a sudden she got the hang of sleeping.

That newborns feed CINSTANTLY. Not just every hour. Constantly. And can still not be getting enough.

Sometimes you don't have enough milk, despite what everyone on the internet says!

That once you give birth to your baby, you also give birth to a usually constant, overwhelming feeling of guilt about everything. Guilty that they sleep in the same room, guilty that you moved them to their own room, guilty that they have a dummy, guilty that you bought some baby food jars instead of making your own out of organic vegetables, guilty that you feel tired and cranky, guilty that you had a kip yourself during naptime, guilty that you did the washing up instead of having a kip at naptime. The list goes on.... But, actually, there's no need to feel guilty, just do what is best for your baby and you, regardless of what other mums, groups or media say.

The days may be long but the months are so short! Just relax and enjoy this time, it goes far faster than you'd ever think possible!

I wish I'd known that struggling to establish breastfeeding is normal.

I wish I'd known that the very low iron levels that meant the hospital were worried about me and giving me blood transfusions etc would effect my milk supply - I was struggling ot feed with a transfusion going on and noone thought to mention to me at the time that my milk supply might be effected...

I wish i'd been told it's ok to want to ignore family and just hunker down with your gorgeous newborn (thankfully the snow kept them away after the first couple of days, they'd have been bothering me from 9 every day if not, by the time the snow had melted enough for visitors to start bothering, DC1 was 2 weeks old and I was feeling a bit more like I'd got the hang of it).

I wish I'd been told to put more food in the freezer for the first few weeks - of course DH could cook, but he was shattered too.

oh and I wish I'd been told to buy black out lined curtains for DCs bedroom sooner !

That how precious the first few days are & its ok to shut the doors and not allow visitors for the first 2-3 days. When my Son was born it was like a revolving door of visitors & I was learning to Breast feed & it was all so stressful. With my daughter I didn't allow anyone in until the 3rd day & it was bliss!

That it's ok to trust your instincts when HV/midwife disagree, especially regarding your own body.

How they take up so much time!

Wish I'd been told that they can projectile vomit after a small giggle - usually when being lifted up in the air with me saying "coochy coo" and having my mouth wide open............

I wish I'd been told that things are not always fine and dandy after 12 weeks, and what a NICU was. We had a four month NICU stay with DC1 that we were completely unprepared for. The happy ending to his rollercoaster start in life is that he is now nearly 10 years old and doing really well.

That baby sleeping bags are amazing and keep your baby from kicking the covers off and waking up...hence a better night sleep for parents!

Fill your freezer with dinners that just need reheating - after a sleepless day the last thing you want to do is be cooking from scratch

If using a plastic changing may, lay a tea towel or muslin over it. If baby wees it slows the spread so can prevent a full outfit change. It's also nicer than having a baby bum/back lying on cold plastic which can bring on said seeing.
With boys, be prepared for erections, it's the warning for a fountain, get ready to duck or cover. Don't take off the dirty nappy fully, check poo status then get wipes and fresh nappy ready first, cold air also encourages fountains

The opinions of midwives are just that - opinions. They are not gospel. Some advice was helpful, some was downright ridiculous. Accept all information offered, filter, then use what is left!

I wish I'd trusted my instincts more. DD1 has a milk allergy and we had a terrible first few months with a very unhappy baby with very little help from our dr or health visitor. I wish I'd pushed more for an earlier diagnosis as I knew in my heart that something wasn't right.

With the first to relax, go with the flow, that everything does not have to be perfect and to enjoy every moment. With the second you wish someone had warned you of wee boys nappy changing projectile piddles and with the third just how much harder everything is with three DC's.

I wish I'd known that the emotional roller coaster is normal for most new mums. However I'm glad that I didn't know that my daughter wouldn't sleep through the night until she was nearly 3; after having my son who slept through the night from about 12 weeks, he may never have had a sister!

I wish I'd been told to relax and not worry so much - it would all turn out fine (although I would still have worried I guess!).

That when you get home from the hospital and you are away from the heat, noise and fuss of it all it will suddenly dawn on you that "This is it".
These tiny people would be depending on you for everything and that you were being trusted to look after them ( we have twins)for us the realisation was immense, both exhilerating and petrifying in equal measure!

I don't think I previously realised how fragile babies are. And how boring they can be.

I'd recommend a good box set for any mother of newborns.